Pages

Saturday, February 18, 2012

It is an unarguable fact that humans need and want boundaries, so it should come as no surprise that as Biblical Christianity declines, being replaced by a predominantly soft-on-doctrine-don’t-be-judgmental approach, the need for boundaries and structure within the Christian community becomes painfully evident.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the fact of Evangelical Christians turning in droves to hierarchal priest-craft and more rigid than ever gender-role restrictions in order to provide boundaries and structure in an otherwise anything-goes-religious-free-for-all attitude that is quickly pervading the Christian psyche.

The Written word of God, the Bible, no longer seems to be the final arbiter as to whether or not behavior is “Christian,” and protestant Christians, who previously looked only to Jesus as Mediator between themselves and their God, seem more willing than ever to transfer that mediatorship from Jesus to pastors who claim it is their responsibility to answer [to God] for their congregants come judgment day.

How is it that Pastors have become self-appointed mediators between God and their congregations? And how is it that husbands have been appointed mediators between their wives and God? And how is it that how we submit to this man-made hierarchy is said to determine the extent to which we can say it is well with our souls?

Submission, therefore, becomes the final arbiter of whether or not a person is in rebellion against God?

How convenient for hierarchalists, as this type of Christianity leaves little use for the Lordship of Christ, the guidance of His Holy Spirit, or the assurance of His Written Word.

Pastor and founder of Hungry Hearts Ministries, Jocelyn Andersen is the author of, Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence, For more information about all her books, visit her author page at amazon.com/author/jocelynandersen